Tracking the last three.

Arthurius worked fast, the lists Yao Jun asked for reached his hands less than five minutes after he asked for them. Granted, information about the allied organizations and the Supreme Law fragment holders was something the World Tree clan would be extremely interested in to begin with so they probably already had it all compiled before he even arrived, it was just a matter of gathering it all before handing it over.

Yao Jun ignored the various gazes that were cast his way, most of them wary or uneasy, and simply skimmed through the information. The strongholds where the allied clans resided, their recent movements, and their strongest members or leaders as well as some of their abilities. He memorized it all as he went through the information, paying extra attention to all the various fragment holders.

"Three princes, nine lords, and a king? Well, queen in this case. I heard that a king hadn't been seen in countless years already, but I guess I shouldn't have expected too much from a random man's information network."

Lord, Prince, King, Emperor. These were the four ranks of fragment holders, going from one to four fragments. Quite frankly, the number of lords that the allied clans had was less than he originally expected. This universe believed that there were 8 fragments of each Supreme Law, adding up to a grand total of 72 possible lords. Yao Jun's group had snatched up 4 fragments, and the World Tree clan held a further 3 fragments, leaving 65 for the taking. But out of those, the allied clans, despite containing most of the strongest organizations in this universe, only had 20 fragments, not even a third.

But, the existence of a Queen could possibly outweigh the relatively small number of lords. That was one person holding four Supreme Law fragments, four small pieces of this universe's Origin Heart. Such a person couldn't be weak, especially since the information said that this person held four fragments of the Supreme Law of Demons. But there was one more worrisome thing about this queen, or perhaps it was the most worrisome thing about her.

"No, it really has been an untold number of years since the last fragment king was seen. This one is fresh, so fresh that we have no clue where she came from. If you are planning on doing what I'm suspecting then you should be the wariest of that one, she's too similar to you."

Yes, she was fresh, that was the problem. The information said that she radiated the energy of a Queen and that she controlled Demonic beasts, but that was about it. No name, only a general description, and a bit about the beasts she had showcased. Nothing about her origins, nothing about how she became connected with the clans, there was nothing at all. She, like Yao Jun, had seemingly popped out of nowhere and shown terrifying strength.

Yao Jun was quiet in the face of Arthurius' warning, his silence serving as affirmation for his guess. A hunt. This scary beast had sought him out so that he could start a hunt. He'd already killed three Godkings in the short time he'd been back, just how many more would he kill before he could be considered sated?

If he kept going like this then he would probably end up being likened to the ancient Horrid King of Pride, Superbia. It had taken several Godkings banding together, one of them being the World Tree clan's Exalted Origin, to just barely kill that Superbia. And even then they had been unable to stop him from leaving behind his inheritance and could instead just seal off the Hollow Waste where he ruled, which coincidentally ended up being where Yao Jun had come from. Would two monsters of unfathomable strength really end up rising from the same origin?

"Alright, that should be everything I came for. If you have any spies or scouts on Third Starbreak Planet then you should evacuate them within the next week or so, otherwise I won't be held responsible for what happens to them."

Yao Jun did not pay attention to the slightly fearful twinkle in Arthurius' eyes, speaking up after he finished memorizing the information. He had one more place he needed to stop by first, but after that, he would fully start the fight. But when he mentioned his first target, Arthurius couldn't help but flinch.

"You... You're actually starting with Third Starbreak? I guess that means this is more of a war than a hunt?"

As was to be expected, Arthurius had made sure to study the same information that Yao Jun had just gotten his hands on. As such, he knew how the enemy forces had moved recently and where they were gathering. Some places were preparing for small skirmishes while others prepared for larger battles, much much larger battles.

And Third Starbreak Planet belonged to the latter category, about 1/10th of the enemy forces were gathered there. Four Godkings, three Fragment Lords, and one Fragment Prince, and that wasn't counting the rest of the armies that were stationed there. Calling it a fortress wasn't doing it justice, it was a dreadnought. And that place was exactly what Yao Jun was planning on tearing down first.

"It was always a war, Arthurius, it's just that I no longer need to run from it."

How many times had he fled in the past, hidden away? His friend had died, but he was unable to tear down those responsible and could only nurse his anger. But no more. Now he had become strong, he had become determined. His friends, his companions, they chose him as their god. And now, now he would prove himself worthy of that faith, and he would prove that he wasn't alone.

Yao Jun had gotten what he came for so he had no reason to linger, his Qi quietly starting to seep into the surrounding space. But a thought struck him just as he was about to warp away, his brows furrowing for a second before he turned his gaze back onto Arthurius.

"Thank you for the information, I will consider it a debt."

He vanished after leaving behind his gratitude, leaving Arthurius somewhat dumbfounded. He was probably the one here who had the most dealings with Yao Jun, but even he would be hardpressed to count how many times Yao Jun had verbally shown his gratitude. And the number of debts he owed them? Well, that number would be even harder to mention, it was nigh on non-existent.

Something had changed. Since Arthurius had last seen Yao Jun, before he killed his first Godking, something had changed in him since then. But change... change was a scary thing, you never knew what form it would end up taking. Allies could become enemies and lovers could become strangers, change was filled with uncertainty. So Arthurius could only hope that this change would be one for the better, the last thing their clan needed now was to have someone like Yao Jun as their enemy.

Yao Jun appeared again above the World Tree planet, quickly bringing out the interspatial ship he kept tucked away. He stepped onto the ship and headed for the control array, the vessel cutting through space after he input the destination he desired. And the place he arrived was a familiar one, a planet so blue it looked like a sapphire.

Home, the place where it all started. Once upon a time, he rushed about to find a way to return here, to reunite with those he cared for. But no such person was left on this planet now, all it held at this point were memories and some that could now only be called acquaintances. But still, there was one person here he had to meet now, that person may know the whereabouts of those he was looking for.

The interspatial ship was recalled into his universe and Yao Jun plummeted down to the ocean, sinking into the darkness that lurked beneath the waves. He could sense the Kraken that lived in this gargantuan ocean, the Origin Beast that called this place home. But the Kraken wasn't his target this time, he came here for that familiar castle that shone with a quiet blue light.

The castle was still staffed by the same fishmen he had seen last time, the almost feral-looking humanoids flitting about quickly but quietly as they did their tasks. He could also see the black-robed and headless entity that seemed to serve as this place's steward, but unlike the last time he was here, it seemed like he was unable to notice Yao Jun's arrival.

And then there was his target, the chained man locked away within the castle's throne room, the Nine Heavens Soul Emperor. Things really were different now compared to when he was last here, now Yao Jun could see him even before he entered the castle. That existence he could previously not even catch a whiff of was now laid bare to him, their gazes intersecting despite the distance and obstructions.

A Godking, and an extremely strong one at that. He was probably at the very peak of the Godking realm, just a hair away from the next one. And that wasn't even mentioning his other title, the oldest living being of this universe. But funnily enough, neither of those titles were why Yao Jun had come here today. He took a step forward and cut through space, skipping over the entire castle and appearing directly in the throne room, only a handful of steps away from the chained emperor.

"There are more chains now."

Yao Jun didn't bother with anything like a greeting, it wasn't like the two of them were friends. And indeed, the sealed emperor was covered in even more chains than he had been last time. Back then he was already imprisoned by a plethora of chains that practically seemed to have fused with his flesh, but you could at least get a decent look at him. Now he was so covered that only his head was properly visible, he looked more metal than man. But even this awkward state couldn't phase the Soul Emperor, the metal rattling as he tried to nod his head.

"Quite a few more. Each one was put in place by the one you're probably looking for now."

The Soul Emperor was no fool, nor was he ignorant. Thanks to the fishmen toiling tirelessly, as well as his steward, he was able to get a somewhat clear view of what went on in the universe. And with how Yao Jun acted, it was inevitable that a lot of information about him would find its way to him. That was why the Soul Emperor knew that if Yao Jun came to find him then there was only one thing he would want, information about the one that sealed him.

"I'm not looking for one of them, I'm looking for all of them. The last three Gates, do you know where they are?"

Yes, that was what Yao Jun had come here for, the last three God Gates. His side alone had five of the God Gates, Lin Ren had the sixth, but the Soul Emperor was the only one who had any relationship with the final three.

The All God's Gate, the Destruction God's Gate, and the Shield God's Gate. They were proper pieces of the Origin Heart, each one would definitely have enough energy to crack open at least one of the fragments that orbited around his universes. The question was exactly what the Soul Emperor had expected, but he couldn't give Yao Jun the answer he sought.

"Both yes, and no. The All God's Gate, or perhaps calling them Su Ying at this point is more accurate, they absorbed them."

The answer was a bit curious, vague even if you were out of the loop. But it was enough for Yao Jun thanks to the little pieces of information he had gathered over the years. That was precisely why he frowned.

"So the original personality took over the new body... That's troublesome. I take it that's where the no comes in? You know they're gathered in Su Ying, but you don't know where Su Ying is?"

Su Ying, that was the name of the original All God's Gate, which was the one God Gate that was capable of gathering the other God Gates to form the true Origin Heart of this universe. Yao Jun had gotten to talk with the original Demon God's Gate and Guo Luo had gotten to talk to the original Illusion God's Gate, they were the embodiment of those fragments so some of their wills still lingered in them despite the passage of years.

With the original All God's Gate taking over this new incarnation things would end up being troublesome. It was Su Ying who had originally come up with the idea to sacrifice all the living beings in this universe to turn back time for the surrounding universes to stave off the Sebettu invasion. They just wanted to rule a bit longer, they wanted to remain kings of this little pond. And now they got the chance to do just that again so they would definitely be looking to prepare for it once more.

"Correct. They reinforced the seal and then left to look for the remaining God Gates. But looking at you... It seems like that dream of theirs will remain just that. What exactly are you trying to become?"

The Soul Emperor tried, and failed, to nod his head, Yao Jun had hit the nail on the head. But at the same time, his sharp eyes could see that the ancient cycle that had plagued this universe would never get to repeat. The Origin Heart, thanks to whatever Yao Jun had done, was now permanently broken. Even if Su Ying absorbed him at this point it would do nothing, he was already a universe completely separate from this one.

"Nothing more or less than what they believe me to be."

Simple, painfully simple, that was the type of being Yao Jun was. They believed him to be a god, so he would become a god for them. It was so simple that it was laughable. But the Soul Emperor saw the danger in that simplicity, saw the risk.

"Belief... trying to follow that is a scary thing, you'd best make sure you don't lose yourself in that ocean."

Moving based on the belief of others was always risky. Trying to become what they believed? What if they believed him to be a monster that could eradicate universes without batting an eye, what if they believed him to be a demon that ate universes to grow? Sometimes, nothing was scarier than something that was exactly what you believed it to be.

The Soul Emperor warned him, but Yao Jun's expression made it clear that he didn't pay it much mind. And that was only to be expected honestly, the Soul Emperor was the same, he hadn't reached his current realm by listening to every little warning that others gave him. But even so, there was something he knew thanks to his age and experience so there was one more warning he had to give Yao Jun, even if he wasn't going to listen.

"I know you probably don't care much for my advice, but I suggest that you be careful. The God Gates are the fragmented pieces of this Universe's Origin Heart, and you've already removed five of them, three of them for good at this point. This universe will never be whole again, and if you are careless in taking away the other fragments then there is a chance that this universe will just crumble under its own weight. If you must gather more of the fragments then you need to either not go too far away so that the universe can draw the needed support from you, or you need to take in every fragment so that the universe can travel with you. But you won't do that last one, will you?"

The Origin Heart was just that, the origin and core of a universe, it was like a human's heart. And while that heart was originally cut up, the pieces were at least somewhat gathered to resemble their original shape, or at the very least all gathered within the body they supported.

But that was no longer the case thanks to Yao Jun, he tore away three pieces and broke them forever, and two more pieces had been taken out of the body for the moment. The situation was already precarious, there was no telling when it would all crumble, especially if Yao Jun wasn't willing to carry it all.

"I will not take what belongs to my family. Just this first one was already too much."

Yes, that was the answer the Soul Emperor had expected. If Yao Jun wanted to carry everything then it meant taking the God Gates that Guo Luo and Lin Ren carried. One was his wife and the other should be his friend, and Yao Jun had never shown even an inkling that he would do anything that could harm them. But even so, the Soul Emperor knew that he had to warn him, that was just how much was at stake.

"Yeah, you seemed like that type of person. I won't say more, you probably wouldn't listen. But keep it in mind when you act. If things go wrong, it won't just be your home that vanishes."